Making Circles

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

I have a confession to make.

No, it's not that I'm a shoe-a-holic (although I am) and it's not that I love the smell of gun powder. (Don't judge.) It's not even that I believe in Big Foot and in the possibility of aliens. (It is possible.)

I'm terrible at navigation.

If you ever spot a little red Ford Fusion stopped on the side of the road with a woman looking at her phone trying to recalculate her position, there's a good chance that's me. I'm just terrible at directions. Turning around two, three, even four times because I've missed a turn is not uncommon for me.

But there are few things that drive me crazier than when I'm lost on a highway and can't find the exit I'm supposed to take. Even worse, when I'm lost on a turn-a-bout with other vehicles headed straight for me. I don't know where I'm going. Am I supposed to yield or are they? Why did that car just pass me on my right? What's going on?

Maybe you've been there to--frantically looking for your turn and second guessing which one you're supposed to take. You find yourself circling again and again. Is this the one? No that one. No, no, no. It's this one.

I've found that life can be very similar to that monotonous circling looking for the correct turn, but never finding it. So round and round you continue to go. Moving is better than standing still, at least that's what they say. But the point is that you're moving just to stay alive but never leaving the dizzying circle.

For a while, making those circles can be entertaining...fun even. But eventually the merry-go-round of life looses it's flavor and all you want to do is get off of the ride.

But how? Which turn is the correct turn? And how did we get on this never ending turn-about anyway.

First, we can't be paralyzed by fear.

Fear might be the most effective of all robbers in the world. Fear will absolutely de-habilitate us leaving us paralyzed inside our own mind. The Bible says that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind." John wrote that God's perfect love for us cast other all fear.

Because of His love we don't have to be afraid of that car headed straight for us. That's just an illusion. That car that we think we'll strike head on is enter the turn-a-bout too. We're safe if we'll follow the directions.

Second, we have to keep an open mind and avoid a critical attitude.

I have found myself becoming so critical of other people. It's wrong and I know it and it keeps me from moving on to my destiny. I judge people for having, what I consider, double standards. And I am enraged with those double standard.

I get so angry and I don't know how to deal with that anger.

But...it's none of my business. They're the ones who'll answer for their actions. Not me. I'll have to give an account for my actions. I'll have to answer for why I let that judgmental, critical attitude grow into anger and even hate. I'll be judged because I didn't act in love.

The Bible is very clear on this. It says, "Judge not or you too will be judged" (Matthew 7:1). Jesus said that people would know we were His disciples by our love for one another. If you're judgin' we're not lovin'.

Kill that critical spirit and learn to act in love.

Third, remember that we've got to let go of the past.

The enemy's greatest trick is the lie of condemnation. Over and over again we rehash what we did wrong and how we could have changed it, but we fail to realize that the past can't be changed. We must work hard to forgive ourselves and move on.

In Romans 8:1, Paul writes, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus (and His redeeming work on the cross) I've been set free from the law of sin and death."

So let's break this down again. How are we going to avoid the stagnant, unmoving circles that can come our way and keep us from moving towards or our God-given purpose?